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April 13, 1999
Sp87

Carleton Graduate Wins Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing

Jonathan Capehart Honored for Editorials Exposing Mismanagement of Apollo Theatre

Northfield, Minn.-- Editorial writer Jonathan Capehart, a 1989 graduate of Carleton College, and his colleagues on the editorial board of the New York Daily News have won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing. The board was honored for its effective campaign to rescue Harlem's historic Apollo Theatre from the financial mismanagement that threatened its survival.

In a news story published in the April 13 issue of the Daily News, editorial page editor Michael Goodwin gave top honors to Capehart and fellow editorial writer Michael Aronson, who were responsible for the investigative work that resulted in 14 published editorials, 10 of which were submitted to the Pulitzer Board for prize consideration. According to Capehart, four other members of the editorial board "picked up the slack" on other projects so that he and Aronson could focus entirely on the Apollo project.

Capehart and Aronson were first alerted to possible mismanagement of the Apollo after a business story appeared in the Daily News detailing the power struggle for financial control of the once-legendary venue. Shocked at the rundown condition of the theater, the two writers launched an investigation that resulted in the fact-filled editorials.

They exposed the shoddy leadership of U.S. Congressman Charles Rangel, who as head of the Apollo Theatre Foundation, had allowed the theatre "to fall into sad disrepair and be sapped of its vast economic and cultural potential." In addition, they found that Percy Sutton, the producer of the syndicated television show, "It's Showtime at the Apollo," was not being held financially accountable for use of the theater.

Capehart noted that the editorials were "the end product of an immense amount of behind-the-scenes work," including months of investigative reporting that involved making endless phone calls, digging through paperwork and conducting personal interviews. "The answer to every question just seemed to produce five or six more questions that needed to be answered," he said.

The editorials eventually called for Rangel's resignation, and have spurred an investigation by the New York Attorney General's office. Time Warner also is reportedly considering a plan to adopt the theater, contingent on Rangel's stepping down.

For Capehart, winning the Pulitzer Prize is "sort of like winning an Oscar. It's the gold seal of approval from colleagues in my field, and I'm told it opens all kinds of doors." Indeed, at age 32, Capehart still has plenty of time to travel through those doors.

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